A Vancouver man was in for a Christmas surprise last week when he offered to help a scruffy panhandler, who — in turn — offered to pay the man’s rent.
The supposedly homeless person was actually well-off. He said he stands on a street corner in Vancouver for several hours a night for the week leading up to Christmas to vet for charitable people and lend them a helping hand.
He came across Yogi Omar just after midnight Thursday.
“For me, knowing that there is someone like you doing this is just wonderful,” Omar told the Daily News Monday. “A lot of people are having problems … hopefully a story like this can brighten their spirits or make them feel better. That’s what Christmas is all about.”
Omar explained he was depositing a check in the middle of the night when the do-gooder approached him and asked for spare change. Omar declined and nearly walked off but turned back and offered to buy food or a coat for the apparent beggar.
Omar was floored. And, in all honesty, he could use a bit of kindness.
That morning Omar booked a flight to China to visit his father who is receiving treatment for stage 3 bone cancer. His trip, which cost most of his savings, is scheduled for Dec. 26 through Jan. 3, and he still needs to get a Chinese visa.
The stranger asked how much Omar paid in rent and he told him the exact cost: $469. The man handed over a full month’s worth of rent in cold-hard cash from a fanny pack.
“Is this seriously happening?”
The man, who Omar described as a white guy who appeared to be in his early 50s, wished to remain anonymous.
Omar was so touched by the act of generosity that he shared it with his friends on Facebook. He awoke the next morning to a slew of messages about his chance encounter.
Read more: Daily News
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